Zboard for Arma!?

[Danbri 0]

Is anyone playing Arma with Zboard gaming keyboard, and if so, how does it work?

I´m interested in bying one, but i need to know if if its any good.

[dmitri 0]

From my own experience, it isn't worth the purchase.

I'm permanently using the standard keyset (not the gaming set) - my expensive Zboard has little functionally beyond that of a cheap keyboard. Terrible drivers, needed to restart pc every time I switched keysets (since I work more than I game these days, I actually need to use the standard keyset as well...sometimes without restarting). Eventually gave-up.

Also, for a game with as many key bindings as ArmA\OFP, you might find the gap between the movement keys and the rest of the board too large or spaced out (with the default gamer's keyset).

[Frantic 0]

i can only tell from the experiences of a friend:

Dont buy a Z-Board if you wanna play ArmA.

My friend was able to play with it 5mins then he changed back to his old normal cherry board.

and be sure, he wasnt saying anything good about this Z-Board...lol

[Danbri 0]

Thank you for the (sad) experiences. Thought the layout of the gamepart looked so good. I´m always using the arrows when playing a game since w-a-s-d has never worked for me, so I was hoping that having the most critical keyes next to eachother would help.

On the other hand, if i dont buy it I have some cash for a new game insted

[echo1 0]

I have one of these. It works, and it works good

[DaSquade 0]

I don't have the 'full' Zboard, but it's little brother, the FANG.

Find it pretty handy as it lets you combine most usefull key combos on it and layout of them are very eco and more or less the right place.

Pro's:

Small pad witch can be used as additional or main input.

Lots of keys in finguer reach of 'movement' keys.

Compaired to keyboard, the movements keys are the center of the pad, so the rest is around it, where on a normal keyboard they are almost all to the right of it...

Neg's:

Like all things, you need to get used to it and the new position of keys.

No experience with the full Zboard, but afaik you can't fully use the Zboard as a normal keyboard (correct me if wrong). So you need to 'replace' it everytime you start playing.

So maybe the FANG (or any other PAD of the same kind) is worth checking out.

The FANG isn't that expensive or at least less then the full Zboard, so maybe try that out...

[shinRaiden 0]

IBM PS/2 Keyboard :

Part No : 1391401

ID No : 1080609

Date : 19MAY1987

Plt No : J1

Model : M

[dmitri 0]

IBM PS/2 Keyboard :

Part No : 1391401

ID No : 1080609

Date : 19MAY1987

Plt No : J1

Model : M

If it came down to it - choosing between the falling piano and the falling IBM Model M., I'd choose to step beneath the piano.

[-ZG-BUZZARD 0]

I must say I use the Zboard's big brother, the MERC, and it runs ok, no complaints at all!

[Stugwi 0]

I have 1 of these:

http://www.saitek.com/uk/prod/eclispekeyii.htm

and i am very happy with it. All the keys are backlight and u can change the backlight colour - blue, red and purple. It is a very well made keyboard ++++++

[Frantic 0]

I have one of these. It works, and it works good

yeah me too...and i already spilled a lot of beer over it and it sill works!

Cherry owns!

[KenO 0]

I use a zboard and it was a freaking pain to get it running good in vista, but works much better than normal keyboard. I just hope they come out with a arma keyset.

[Danbri 0]

I use a zboard and it was a freaking pain to get it running good in vista, but works much better than normal keyboard. I just hope they come out with a arma keyset.

But apart from your last request, does all the buttons work as they are intended to?

[4 IN 1 0]

I have one of these. It works, and it works good

yeah me too...and i already spilled a lot of beer over it and it sill works!

Cherry owns!

yeah over the past 5 years there have been countless times of water, coke, soup, different kinds of softdrinks and of cause lots Red Bull being spilled on my $10 keybroad, what i do was to open it, wash it in water and dry it with hair drier, plug it back and it will work

[FWF.Osteo 0]

I've been using the vanilla z-board since it came out and love it. I've not had a single problem with it, its drivers, or switching to the non-gaming key set. I don't use anything but its stock gaming board (I don't use any of the game specific keyboards) and when this one dies, I'll probably get the Merc or Fang versions people mentioned above as typeing for chat is a bit difficult for some of the lesser used keys with the vanilla board but you do get used to it - I'm using it now!

[AsRock+SD 0]

I use the Fang and it's been great. Allso use a New but old disigned Compaq keyboard it's SOLID Well 8lb sollid that is. As they used to be . Much better than how they make them today..

[KenO 0]

I use a zboard and it was a freaking pain to get it running good in vista, but works much better than normal keyboard. I just hope they come out with a arma keyset.

But apart from your last request, does all the buttons work as they are intended to?

most of the buttons dont map properly, crouch=standup, for example. But ive trained my brain to find them and its still far more comfortable than a standard layout.

[chipper 0]

i have a MERC Z-board works for NE game

[Punisher5555 0]

I have the MERC version and my son uses the older version. They make the game easier to play in my opinion. We use the ARAMA key setups you get from the program. We love it.

[echo1 0]

IBM PS/2 Keyboard :

Part No : 1391401

ID No : 1080609

Date : 19MAY1987

Plt No : J1

Model : M

:notworthy:

Edited June 21, 2009 by echo1

[Danbri 0]

I have the MERC version and my son uses the older version. They make the game easier to play in my opinion. We use the ARAMA key setups you get from the program. We love it.

Is the MERC a "full" keyboard (thus bigger) or whats the difference?

[chipper 0]

Ya its a full keyboard see